LOWELL -- City Manager Bernie Lynch, who announced Tuesday he is resigning March 10, told The Sun on Thursday he would consider staying on the job to ensure the city's budget is prepared properly and there is a smooth transition to the next administration.

"Several people have asked me to stay on, and I will not say who," Lynch said. "But I am considering it. Under certain conditions."

Lynch, who has been on the job for nearly eight years, declined to discuss those conditions.

Lynch's departure date has been the focus of much discussion since his announcement Tuesday. That discussion ramped up Thursday after news spread that Auditor Sheryl Wright is retiring Feb. 28. The city is already without its chief financial officer, as Thomas Moses resigned late last year to accept the equivalent of a town manager's job in Hudson.

If Lynch left as planned on March 10, it would mean the city would be without anyone preparing its budget heading into the busy spring budget season.

"I got the city to a certain point," Lynch said, referring to its strong financial position. "I'd like to make sure it stays there."

Lynch emphasized, however, that once the budget is prepared, he would indeed resign.